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WoodSkills Wooden Hand Plane
A few wood hand planes I use in my day to day woodworking. Although possessing a full set of quality metal-bodied hand planes, I am drawn to these wood-bodied planes for certain work. These particular shop-made planes were made several years ago by following a process described in one of James Krenov early books. The body is laminated together and the iron and cap iron were purchased through Hock Tools. The iron assembly is specifically for use in wooden hand planes such as these. Photos consist of a jack plane and two smoothers. Wood used was straight-grained European Beech with a sole of tropical wood (Goncavo Alves). The first photo shows a more sculpted smoother to introduce ergonomics into the design. Also shown is a tropical wood insert placed ahead of the cutting iron. This is where the sole wears the most and a tight mouth opening is critical.
Wood river Spindle sander
My favorite tool I have is this lowly Wood River spindle sander from Woodcraft. It has a very effective dust port for a vacuum so it does not make a mess. It came with 6 different sized spindles, from a 3 inch down to a 3/4 inch. I have arthritis in my fingers, my hands, my wrists, elbows, and shoulders so this thing has been a life saver for me. So easy to make curls and curves, I would suggest this tool for everyone.
BabyLock Sewing Machine
I was in need of a new machine after the motor in my well used Husquvarna sewing machine packed it in. I did some research and have been very happy with this BabyLock. I can sew any type of material from leather to the finest chiffons and the machine will automatically adjust tensions. It has been put through a lot of paces over the last few years and has given me no problems at all. There are lots of embroidery stitches included in the machine and sewing a buttonhole is the easier I’ve ever had on a machine. One of my favourite features is the self threading needle!
Rigid Table Saw
This is my husband’s toy and I’m going to learn how to use it. My husband has been cutting wood for me on this when I can’t cut it on my scroll saw. Time for me to learn! It is very light to move around and my hubby has attached a Rigid shop vac to catch the sawdust.
shipwright Chevalet de Marqueterie
My chevalet allows me to cut marquetry that I could not dream of cutting with any other tool, and yes, I’ve tried. I built my first two in 2011, one for my home in B.C. and one for my winter home in Az. Since then I’ve built about fifteen more give or take a couple and have had the privilege of introducing over twenty students to its use. This tool was perfected by the masters of French marquetry over two hundred years ago and it’s still the finest one available for the task IMHO.
SuperMax by Performax 25" dual drum sander
Does anyone hate sanding as much as I do? Actually, I don’t really mind sanding when I can do it this way. I just put on my ear muffs and respirator and sand away. If I could get someone to change the sandpaper so I didn’t have to do it that would make it even more perfect! I added the sandpaper holder to make the changing more convenient but I haven’t figured out an automated sandpaper change! L/W
Hammer K3 Winner Panel Saw
The saw is pretty good with solid woods as it has a 12" blade (4"depth of cut) and a 4 hp motor. But where it excels is with sheet goods. It has a scoring blade for clean cuts in sheet goods (top and bottom) and a pretty skookum sliding table for crosscutting with an 80" travel range. Big enough it can support a full sheet of plywood for trimming and end etc.
Unkown 18" metal bandsaw
There are no manufacturer tags that I can find but it is an upright, variable speed, 18" metal bandsaw. It came from England originally and the previous owner swapped out the motor to have it run on 220v single phase power. It has a built in blade welder/annealer which works but I haven’t mastered a decent weld with it. It is made from heavy cast, and weighs around 800 lbs. The upper cast had a large repair in it which is why I was able to purchase it for $0.10 on the dollar. Has worked fine though and I’ve had it for about 8 years
Dewalt Scroll Saw
This is my favourite and most used tool. I bought this saw in 2007 and it has been well used with lots of mileage on it and no problems at all. I cut a piece of plexiglass the same size and shape of the table and stuck a magnet sheet on the back so it would hold to the metal table without moving. Using this I was able to cut a smaller hole for the blade to go through and therefore get good accurate cuts. It also is a very smooth surface to move your wood around efficiently. When threading the blade through a drill hole to do a fret cut I thread from bottom to top. To do this I need the arm of the saw to stay up. I just cut a wedge of wood which does the job perfectly. There is an attachment you can get which also does the job but of course you are going to pay for it.
Various Carving Tools
These are just a few of my many carving tools. The palm gouges by Drake are my favourite. They fit my hand comfortably and since I use gouges a lot for my carvings they are the best. the second picture is of the chip carving knives in my collection. I prefer the Beebee knives to the Moor (grey handled) chip carving knives. The next photo is of the Japanese made starter carving set purchased at Lee Valley Tools. The 4th photo is my favourite carving knife. I like the shape and it fits comfortable in my hand. The last photo is of my Veritas draw knife. I use this knife when curving the edges of an oblong shape such as carving a paddle or the spine of the book box I’m working on right now.
